WELCOME TO THE CFZ BLOG NETWORK: COME AND JOIN THE FUN

Half a century ago, Belgian Zoologist Bernard Heuvelmans first codified cryptozoology in his book On the Track of Unknown Animals.

The Centre for Fortean Zoology (CFZ) are still on the track, and have been since 1992. But as if chasing unknown animals wasn't enough, we are involved in education, conservation, and good old-fashioned natural history! We already have three journals, the largest cryptozoological publishing house in the world, CFZtv, and the largest cryptozoological conference in the English-speaking world, but in January 2009 someone suggested that we started a daily online magazine! The CFZ bloggo is a collaborative effort by a coalition of members, friends, and supporters of the CFZ, and covers all the subjects with which we deal, with a smattering of music, high strangeness and surreal humour to make up the mix.

It is edited by CFZ Director Jon Downes, and subbed by the lovely Lizzy Bitakara'mire (formerly Clancy), scourge of improper syntax. The daily newsblog is edited by Corinna Downes, head administratrix of the CFZ, and the indexing is done by Lee Canty and Kathy Imbriani. There is regular news from the CFZ Mystery Cat study group, and regular fortean bird news from 'The Watcher of the Skies'. Regular bloggers include Dr Karl Shuker, Dale Drinnon, Richard Muirhead and Richard Freeman.The CFZ bloggo is updated daily, and there's nothing quite like it anywhere else. Come and join us...

Search This Blog

WATCH OUR MONTHLY WEBtv SHOW

SUPPORT OTT ON PATREON

Click on this logo to find out more about helping CFZtv and getting some smashing rewards...

SIGN UP FOR OUR MONTHLY NEWSLETTER

Unlike some of our competitors we are not going to try and blackmail you into donating by saying that we won't continue if you don't. That would just be vulgar, but our lives, and those of the animals which we look after, would be a damn sight easier if we receive more donations to our fighting fund. Donate via Paypal today...

Friday, October 23, 2015

4th Eden (aka Martin Eve) has finally released his second album called 'Pictures On A Soundscape'. Written over the past three years this collection of nine tracks takes you on a journey through an electronic landscape. With contributions from Soundcloud chums, Graham Lavallin and Christian Granquist, this album is very different from album no 1, Infinity.

For the very first time, 4th Eden not only get an interview in a magazine but by-jingo by-crikey he's on the front page! So with the help of Steve Rider, we went out to Hartland in North Devon to do the photo-shoot. Firstly, at the folly and then to the standing stone the other side of the valley.

The hunt for British Big Cats attracts far more newspaper-column inches than any other cryptozoological subject.

There are so many of them now that we feel that they should be archived by us in some way, so we are publishing a regular round-up of the stories as they come in.

The worldwide mystery cat phenomenon (or group of phenomena, if we are to be more accurate) is not JUST about cryptozoology. At its most basic level it is about the relationship between our species and various species of larger cat. That is why sometimes you will read stories here that appear to have nothing to do with cryptozoology but have everything to do with human/big cat interaction. As committed Forteans, we believe that until we understand the nature of these interactions, we have no hope of understanding the truth that we are seeking.

This claim by Galbreath is worth promoting for discussion, debate, or as the best settlement of the mystery so far, but this particular article has not been made available online to non-subscribers of SkepInq. I’ve repeatedly stated that cryptozoology sites SHOULD cite skeptical literature – it is more measured and reasonable, often done by qualified researchers, considers likely and plausible explanations, and is overall better referenced. But they often do not cite these sources because they are less sensational for those same reasons listed. Therefore, I’m calling this cryptid “news” and calling it to wider attention of audiences interested in claims of unknown creatures.

What has Corinna's column of Fortean bird news got to do with cryptozoology?Well, everything, actually!

In an article for the first edition of Cryptozoology Bernard Heuvelmans wrote that cryptozoology is the study of 'unexpected animals' and following on from that perfectly reasonable assertion, it seems to us that whereas the study of out-of-place birds may not have the glamour of the hunt for bigfoot or lake monsters, it is still a perfectly valid area for the Fortean zoologist to be interested in.

A couple of weeks ago I was writing some blurb to go with my new novel
which was published a couple of weeks a go and which I am rather proud of. In it
I stated that I thought that I had invented a new genre. ‘High Fantasy’ is a
well known genre of literature in which a book is set in an imaginary country
like Narnia or Middle Earth complete with unicorns, dragons, dwarves and any
other inhabitants dreamed up by the author. ‘Low Fantasy’ is apparently what
happens when I book is set on Earth involving “ nonrational happenings that are
without causality or rationality because they occur in the rational world where
such things are not supposed to occur” I believe that I have invented a new
genre: ‘Low-life Fantasy’.

The vast majority of my book and indeed my previous novel The Blackdown
Mystery (1999) is largely set in mental hospitals, and disused industrial
estates, and the characters are mostly homeless, disabled, substance abusers,
and/or on benefits a friend of mine read what I had written and was appalled.
“In the current climate you can’t talk about people being on benefits” he said,
adding that it would adversely affect my sales. I have been thinking about this
ever since. And I will say this now. Some of you already know this, and some of
you don’t. I am seriously ill and in receipt of two non-means tested state
benefits, and whilst I can write amusing bollocks about cryptozoology or obscure
rock musicians I am in no state to hold down anything approaching a proper
job.

And so, another week trundles towards its end. Its been a fun week, on the
whole and, once again, Jessica and I have quite a lot to show for out toiling in
the potato shed. However, next week the calm voyage of our little ship is
threatened by a looming iceberg.

Although I can no longer walk unaided, am in constant pain and I am as mad
as a hatter I am more than slightly worried by my impending interview with the
DWP doctors. Yes, next Wednesday at ten o’clock I will be up in front of the
medical examination board who wish to discover whether I am a parasitic enemy of
society or not. One hears all sorts of horror stories about people who are
terminally ill or in an even more grievous condition then me being told that
they are fit to work. I would therefore, like all you people out there in
readership land to keep your fingers crossed for me next Wednesday morning, and
hope sanity will prevail.

The latest issue of Gonzo Weekly (#152) is available to read at
www.gonzoweekly.com, and to download at http://www.gonzoweekly.com/pdf/. It
has 4th Eden on the front cover together with an interview with him inside, Doug
goes to see David Gilmour at the Royal Albert Hall, Jon muses on Patto and rock
and roll archaeology. We review volume one of Transmetropolitan, and Xtul are
back in the deep woods. Neil unearths a hidden gem, Thom waxes all poetical
like, whilst the legendary Roy Weard continues his regular column, C J Stone
does his, and Mr Biffo has more of his regular slices of insanity from the world
of Digitiser 2000, and there is a radio show from Strange Fruit, one from Friday
Night Progressive and another from our latest addition to the team Mack Moloney.
There is also a collection of more news, reviews, views, interviews and
pademelons wanting a snooze (OK, nothing to do with small marsupials who stayed
up too late last night, but I got carried away with things that rhymed with
OOOOS) than you can shake a stick at. And the best part is IT's ABSOLUTELY
FREE!!!

All issues from #70 can be downloaded at www.gonzoweekly.com if you prefer.
If you have problems downloading, just email me and I will add you to the Gonzo
Weekly dropbox. The first 69 issues are archived there as well. Information is
power chaps, we have to share it!

SPECIAL NOTICE: If you, too, want to unleash the power of your inner rock
journalist, and want to join a rapidly growing band of likewise minded weirdos
please email me at jon@eclipse.co.uk The more the merrier really.

* The Gonzo Daily is a two way process. If you have any news or want to
write for us, please contact me at jon@eclipse.co.uk. If you are an artist and
want to showcase your work, or even just say hello please write to me at
gonzo@cfz.org.uk. Please copy, paste and spread the word about this magazine as
widely as possible. We need people to read us in order to grow, and as soon as
it is viable we shall be invading more traditional magaziney areas. Join in the
fun, spread the word, and maybe if we all chant loud enough we CAN stop it
raining. See you tomorrow...

* The Gonzo Daily is - as the name implies - a daily online magazine
(mostly) about artists connected to the Gonzo Multimedia group of companies. But
it also has other stuff as and when the editor feels like it. The same team also
do a weekly newsletter called - imaginatively - The Gonzo Weekly. Find out about
it at this link:
www.gonzo-multimedia.blogspot.com/…/all-gonzo-news-wots-fit…

* We should probably mention here, that some of our posts are links to
things we have found on the internet that we think are of interest. We are not
responsible for spelling or factual errors in other people's websites. Honest
guv!

* Jon Downes, the Editor of all these ventures (and several others) is an
old hippy of 56 who - together with an infantile orange cat named after a song
by Frank Zappa, and a small kitten totally coincidentally named after one of the
Manson Family, purely because she squeaks, puts it all together from a converted
potato shed in a tumbledown cottage deep in rural Devon which he shares with
various fish, and sometimes a small Indian frog. He is ably assisted by his
lovely wife Corinna, his bulldog/boxer Prudence, his elderly mother-in-law, and
a motley collection of social malcontents. Plus.. did we mention the infantile
orange cat, and the adventurous kitten?